Asphalt on top of oil-and-chip works for South Whitehall

In an August column on the oil-and-chip process, South Whitehall Township Interim Public Works Director Bob Ibach said he's convinced that oiling-and-chipping a road surface prior to adding a thin layer of "real" asphalt is an effective method of roadway maitenance. PennDOT sometimes utilizes this procedue as well.

An example of the process got started today (and may have been completed, for all I know), on Broadway in the township's Cetronia area, where workers installed a "micro" layer of macadam. The chip-and-seal job was done on that stretch a month or so ago.

Busy Broadway (which connects to Cedar Crest Boulevard just to the east) was not closed, but it was restricted to a single lane with traffic controlled by flaggers. It wasn't too bad when I went through about 10 a.m. -- the group of eastbound cars I got stuck with waited for only three or four minutes before being waved through -- but it could have been ugly on both sides of noon for the lunch-time rush. I don't even want to think how it might look now, approaching 5 p.m., if the restriction is still in place. I hope they're out of there by now.

I still find it hard to believe, but all the traffic engineers, public-works directors and street superintendends I've ever asked about oil-and-chip have insisted that it adds a few years of life to deteriorating road surfaces, and that it is cost-effective. Despite my skepticism, I have no way of refuting these universal claims.

Current Comments

Yeah, this will be great until someone gets sued for using it because it caused an accident. When they do this the surfaces are very slippery for a week or two.

Also, once enough people realize that in PA, insurance companies can not raise your rates for comprehensive claims, and you may make a claim for broken windshields, chipped paint, etc. from poorly maintained roadways (think potholes that break your suspension), insurance companies will sue PENNDOT to recover their costs.

Posted By: Wayne95 | Oct 8, 2011 10:41:31 AM

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about this blog

Morning Call Reporter and Columnist Dan Hartzell is The Road Warrior, defending the drivers of the Lehigh Valley and the roads on which they drive. E-mail questions about transportation in the Lehigh Valley and beyond to hartzell@mcall.com.